
Germany ordered the closure of all three Iranian consulates there yesterday, expelling 32 Iranian diplomats and leaving only Iran's embassy in Berlin. The move followed Iran's execution of German-Iranian citizen Jamshid Sharmahd.
Sharmahd, 69, was executed Monday after being sentenced to death last year on terrorism charges. Following his 2020 capture by Iranian forces in Dubai, Sharmahd was accused of leading a US-based Iranian opposition group and planning a 2008 mosque attack in Shiraz, killing 14 people and wounding more than 200 others. The US and human rights groups criticized the trial, alleging Sharmahd was not given proper representation.
The news escalates tensions between the two countries, with relations previously strained by Iran's nuclear program and human rights abuses and Germany's support for Israel. Germany halted trade incentives with Iran in 2022, reducing exports to approximately $1.3B in 2023, a 24% decrease from the previous year. Germany is now calling for EU-wide sanctions against those involved in Sharmahd's execution.
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